


Check Mate

by Nova_H_Huntress



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 08:54:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28468587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nova_H_Huntress/pseuds/Nova_H_Huntress
Summary: You’ve been taking you sister to the park to play chess for weeks, but today’s the day you meet her favorite opponent.
Relationships: Spencer Reid/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 70





	Check Mate

It was peaceful, sitting in the park and watching the people around you, young and old, playing chess. This was the ninth weekend in a row you’d brought your younger sister to play against other people. She was smarter than most other 14 year old’s that you’d known and she’d quickly grown tired of ‘dusting your ass’, as she had so kindly phrased it.   
Most of the time you sat and read with your coffee, occasionally offering whatever baked good you had brought with you to passers by. You’d found yourself starting to look forward to these days in the park, breathing in the fresh air, and watching your sister beat other people for a change.   
At this point you’d been absorbed in the story on the pages in front of you when a familiar voice caught your attention.   
“Y/N.” Looking up you find her standing before you, a smile set wide on her face. “I think I’m ready to go now. I’ve already played everyone.”  
“And the results are?” You ask, closing your book around a finger, holding it in you lap.   
Her growing smile gave away the answer you already knew. “4-0. There is this one guy that wears a lot of sweaters that actually puts up a challenge but I haven’t seen him in a while.”  
“Well maybe he thought you could beat him so he stopped coming.”   
“I actually have been a way for work a lot recently, but if you have the time I’d like to play you.” Whipping your head around your eyes land on the person the voice had come from. “I apologize if I frightened you, I noticed Riley over here and thought she might want to play a game. Feel free to sit with us if that makes you more comfortable, I know how strange my request might have come off.”  
The man you’d imagined when your sister said ‘guy that wears a lot of sweaters’ you hadn’t expected the thin, lanky man, that stood before you, all soft looking curls and an adorable half smile. You’d definitely assumed she meant someone much older, not the reasonably attractive man that had to have been close to you in age.   
“This is my big sister Y/N.” Riley’s voice broke you from the trance-like state you’d been in.   
“Hello, Y/N. I’m Spencer.”  
Picking up the box of individually wrapped banana muffins next to you, you offer it out in his direction. “Would you like a muffin, Spencer?”   
“She brings leftovers from the cafe every week, these are banana walnut.”  
Taking one of the muffins he smiles at you. “Thank you, these smell really good.” Looking from you to your sister he opens his mouth again. “Time for a quick game?” He asked her.   
“Sure, I could use a brain workout.”   
He follows her to the nearest table, you looking up at them through your lashes, trying to make it look like you weren’t just staring. Riley seems to be enjoying herself, you can’t hear what they’re saying but you can see that she’s laughing. You go back to reading the book in your lap, oblivious to your sisters scheming. 

“So what do you think?” Riley asked, analyzing the move Spencer was going to make, before he made it.   
Letting out a laugh Spencer said, “I think you haven’t lost your touch. I can tell that whatever move you’re thinking about making in going to be a very good one.”  
Rolling her eyes, she shook her head at him. “Not about the game, although this is the most challenge I’ve had in weeks. Those serial killers need to take a break.” She glanced at you, sitting at the table invested so deeply in your book, and then back to Spencer. “I meant about my sister. You like girls right? What do you think about her?”  
Spencer froze in his seat, heat creeping up his neck and all the way to the tips of his ears. “I-I I’m not entirely… uhm… sure what you.. mean.” He cleared his throat, focusing a little too hard on the chess pieces.   
“For a genius, you can be real dumb sometimes.” She huffed moving her piece and taking the one of his that was in that spot. “Spencer, I think you’re a really nice guy, from the many hours we’ve played each other. You have a really cool job and you’re really into your work, and unlike the few guys we’ve seen Y/N bring home… you’re not a dirtbag. She works like all the time, I’m kind of surprised she’s been making time to bring me out here every Saturday. But she needs some fun… or something. I thought maybe you might consider taking her on a date. Maybe just coffee. Get to know each other. She’s super pretty! And I know you like to read too. I think it’d be great for you too. You also work all the time and something tells me that you haven’t been on a date in a really long time.”  
He concentrates on the pieces, thinking more about what Riley was saying to him than what his next move was going to be. She wasn’t wrong. He hadn’t been on a date in a while-so long that he wasn’t sure he’d know how to even ask Y/N out for coffee without embarrassing himself somehow. Though physical appearance wasn’t very high up on his list of important qualities in a potential partner, Spencer did find her very attractive. Almost distractingly so. He could imagine himself camped out with her in a book store, looking over the several books they had piled next to them on the floor, or sitting across from each other laughing in a coffee shop. He shook those thoughts from his mind. He didn’t want to get carried away. After all, he’d barely met her.   
“You don’t even know if she’d be okay with you trying to pass her off like this.” Spencer points out, trying to sound like he wouldn’t be disappointed.   
“Trust me, if you ask her out.. she probably wouldn’t say no. I know my sister, she thinks you’re totally hot.”  
The blush returned to his face as he looked away from Riley, eyes landing on Y/N. “I’ll think about it, okay. Maybe if I see her again… outside of the park.”

***

Fingers skimming over the books on the shelf, you pull the one out that your finger lands on. You flip through the pages, trying to decide if you need yet another mythology book.   
“That’s an interesting choice.” You gasp loudly, whipping your head towards the direction of the voice. You find standing a few feet from you the guy you’d met at the park a few weeks previous.   
“Oh! You scared me.” You laughed nervously. “Spencer, wasn’t it?”  
His shy smile was irresistible. “Yes, and you are Y/N.”   
“My sister doesn’t shut up about how cool she thinks you are, she never meets anyone as smart as she is, or well smarter in your case.”  
He blushes, tucking his hair behind his ear. “Are you doing anything after this? Would you maybe want to get some coffee or something?”  
Your heart began to pound against your rib cage. Was this really happening? A cute, seemingly nice guy, WITH a job no less, was asking YOU out in a date. It seemed too good to be true. “No… I mean no, I’m not doing anything. I would like to get coffee with you.”  
“Really?” He flushed, looking past you at the bookshelf. “I kind of wasn’t sure you’d agree, but great. I’ll wait for you by the door.”  
Hurrying to the counter, you paid for your book, taking a deep breath as you make your way towards the tall man waiting for you at the door. 

***

“So what do you do?” You asked, taking a sip from the chai latte you’d ordered. “You mentioned that you travel for work?”  
“Well.. I do travel for work often but not how you’d think.” He started, setting his cup down and interlocking his fingers. “I work in the Behavioral Analysis Unit at the FBI.”  
That you hadn’t imagined. “Hmm. Special Agent Spencer. Not what I pegged you for, I was thinking more along the lines of professor traveling to give lectures or something but I guess I can see it. Although I can’t say I know exactly what the Behavioral Analysis Unit is.”  
He smiled at you awkwardly, taking a sip of his own coffee, looking like he was thinking about how to answer you. “Actually it’s Doctor Spencer Reid.” He laughed. “And to put it gently, my team and I profile and catch serial killers.”  
Your face contorted without your control, eyebrows raised and mouth falling open. “That sounds terrible. In the least offensive way possible. But also, thank you, Doctor.” An embarrassed laugh escaped your lips. “I don’t think I could ever do anything like that. I have a weak stomach. I can’t imagine the things you’ve seen.”  
Spencer looked at you, your face flushing under his eyes, not saying a word. Just when you thought you might have said something wrong he spoke, his voice soft. “You are certainly a breath of fresh air.”   
“I would say I try, but honestly I’m just nervous because I haven’t been out with anyone in a while and you’re….” You stop mid ramble, bringing your hands up to hid your face. “I’m sorry.”  
Peaking through your fingers you find that Spencer is laughing to himself. “Don’t apologize, I thought it was cute.” Sighing, you let your hands fall into your lap. “So what is it that you do?”  
“My family owns a little brunch café type of place, I mostly work in the kitchen, you know making the food and baking the pastries and stuff.” Compared to his own job, you assumed that he probably thought your life was boring. “Not as exciting as catching murders but, I enjoy it.”  
“I wouldn’t say that.” He starts, looking at you closely, curiosity filling his brown eyes. “You like to cook? I’ve never been very good myself.”   
You can’t help but smile to yourself. “I like to make breakfast food, it’s my favorite meal, but honestly I have a preference for baking. My favorite is making the scones for the tea on Saturday morning.”  
Spencer was captivated, it’d been so long, he felt, since he’d had such a down to earth conversation with someone like this, let alone a beautiful girl. He would sit here like this forever. “That sounds great, I’d love to stop by sometime. The muffin you gave me a couple of weeks ago was really good.”  
“Thank you, I put my own twist on the family recipe.” You smile, looking away from him. “I’d love for you to stop by, I’ll make you breakfast on the house.”  
“I’d like that.”  
You find that Spencer is full of fun and weird and interesting facts and statistics, blushing furiously after each one that he blurts out. Before you know it the sky outside starts to turn pink and orange as the sun sets. Your heart winces in your chest a little when you realize that your time with Spencer will be over soon. He walks you back to your car in the bookstore parking lot, looking nervous every step of the way.  
“Can I give you my number? I really enjoyed this and… I just… I’d like to do something again with you if that’s okay.” Spencer’s cheeks were a bright shade of pink, offering his phone out towards you.   
You take it, typing your number into his contacts. “I’d love to do something with you, Spencer. I had a really good time.”  
He let out a long breath. “I was hoping you’d say that. I don’t really have a set schedule but, I promise I’ll call you as soon as I get a chance.”  
Pushing yourself up onto the tips of your toes, you press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, blushing furiously as you take a step back. The shy smile on his face grows, he takes your face between his hands and pulls your face gently back to his, kissing you directly on the mouth. Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt you deepen the kiss without hesitation.   
When you break away, he rests his forehead against yours. “I don’t normally do that kind of thing, but I’m trying to break out of my comfort zone.”  
“Anytime you want to do that, feel free to use me as practice.” You laugh, pulling him into another kiss. You smile against his soft lips, feeling like something good was starting to bloom.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this one! I’m thinking about posting these on tumblr soon too, and maybe trying to take requests. Which I’d be glad to do now if anyone has any suggestions!   
> As it’s closing in on the last hours of 2020, I hope you all have a great night. Happy New Year, lovelies. 🖤


End file.
